This document provides an overview of Chapter 1 from Magruder's American Government textbook. It covers three main sections: (1) principles of government, (2) forms of government, and (3) basic concepts of democracy. Key points include definitions of government and the state, different systems of government classified by participation and power distribution, and foundations of democracy such as individual freedom and compromise.

1. Presentation Pro
Magruder’s
American Government
CHAPTER 1
Principles of Government
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

2. CHAPTER 1
Principles of Government
SECTION 1 Government and the State
SECTION 2 Forms of Government
SECTION 3 Basic Concepts of Democracy
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1

3. SECTION 1
Government and the State
• How is government defined?
• What are the basic powers that every
government holds?
• What are the four defining characteristics of
the state?
• How have we attempted to explain the origin
of the state?
• What is the purpose of government in the
United States and other countries?
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 1

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Section: 1 2 3

5. What Is Government?
Government is the
institution through which a
society makes and enforces
its public policies.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1 Section 1

6. OUR FIRST PUBLIC POLICY:
―When in the Course of human events, it becomes
necessary for one people to dissolve the political
bands which have connected them with another,
and to assume among the powers of the earth, the
separate and equal station to which the Laws of
nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent
respect to the opinions of mankind requires that
they should declare the causes which impel them to
the separation.
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Section: 1 2 3

7. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are ………..
•Life
•Liberty
•And the Pursuit of Happiness‖
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Section: 1 2 3

8. Thomas Jefferson
• Author of the
Declaration of
Independence
• Author of the Virginia
Statute on Religious
Freedom
• Father of the University
of Virginia
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9. JOHN LOCKE
• English Philosopher
• Second Treatise Civil
Government – p. 11
• Natural rights
- Life
- Liberty
- Property
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Section: 1 2 3

10. GOVERNMENT: WHY DO WE NEED IT?
―Necessary Evil‖
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11. The State
The state can be defined as having these four
characteristics:
Population Territory
A state must have people, A state must be comprised
the number of which does of land—territory with known
not directly relate to its and recognized boundaries.
existence.
Sovereignty Government
Every state is sovereign. It Every state has a
has supreme and absolute government — that is, it is
power within its own politically organized.
territory and decides its own
foreign and domestic
policies.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 1

12. Origins of the State
The Force Theory
• The force theory states that one person or a small group took
control of an area and forced all within it to submit to that
person’s or group’s rule.
The Evolutionary Theory
• The evolutionary theory argues that the state evolved naturally
out of the early family.
The Divine Right Theory
• The theory of divine right holds that God created the state and
that God gives those of royal birth a ―divine right‖ to rule.
The Social Contract Theory
• The social contract theory argues that the state arose out of a
voluntary act of free people.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 1

13. The Purpose of Government
The main purposes of government are described in the
Preamble of the Constitution of the United States:
―We the People of the United States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote
the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish
this Constitution for the United States of America.‖
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 1

14. To boldly go where no man has gone
before……..
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15. Section 1 Review
1. A government is
(a) the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.
(b) a collection of people.
(c) always democratic.
(d) the organization representing farms and industries.
2. A state has the following four characteristics:
(a) population, territory, sovereignty, and government.
(b) sovereignty, a perfect union, welfare, and territory.
(c) people, places, force, and divine right.
(d) justice, defense, liberty, and domestic tranquility.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 1

16. SECTION 2
Forms of Government
• How can we classify governments?
• How are systems of government defined in
terms of who can participate?
• How is power distributed within a state?
• How are governments defined by the
relationship between the legislative and
executive branches?
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

17. Classifying Governments
Governments can be classified by three
different standards:
(1) Who can participate in the governing process.
(2) The geographic distribution of the governmental
power within the state.
(3) The relationship between the legislative
(lawmaking) and the executive (law-executing)
branches of the government.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

18. Classification by Who Can Participate
Democracy Dictatorship
• In a democracy, supreme • A dictatorship exists where
political authority rests with those who rule cannot be
the people. held responsible to the will of
the people.
• A direct democracy exists
where the will of the people is • An autocracy is a
translated into law directly by government in which a
the people themselves. single person holds unlimited
political power.
• In an indirect democracy, a
small group of persons, • An oligarchy is a
chosen by the people to act government in which the
as their representatives, power to rule is held by a
expresses the popular will. small, usually self-appointed
elite.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

19. Classification by Geographic
Distribution of Power
Unitary Government Confederate Government
• A unitary government has • A confederation is an
all powers held by a single, alliance of independent
central agency. states.
Federal Government
• A federal government is one in which the powers of
government are divided between a central government and
several local governments.
• An authority superior to both the central and local
governments makes this division of power on a
geographic basis.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

20. Classification by the Relationship Between
Legislative and Executive Branches
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

21. Forms of Government
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

22. Section 2 Review
1. In a democracy,
(a) independent states form an alliance.
(b) supreme political authority rests with the people.
(c) those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.
(d) the rule by a few, select individuals regulates the will of the people.
2. The United States government has the following characteristics:
(a) confederate, parliamentary, and dictatorship.
(b) unitary, presidential, and democracy.
(c) federal, presidential, and democracy.
(d) unitary, parliamentary, and dictatorship.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 2

23. SECTION 3
Basic Concepts of Democracy
• What are the foundations of democracy?
• What are the connections between
democracy and the free enterprise system?
• How has the Internet affected democracy?
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 3

24. Foundations
The American concept of democracy rests on
these basic notions:
(1) A recognition of the fundamental worth and dignity of every
person;
(2) A respect for the equality of all persons;
(3) A faith in majority rule and an insistence upon minority
rights;
(4) An acceptance of the necessity of compromise; and
(5) An insistence upon the widest possible degree of
individual freedom.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 3

25. Democracy and the Free Enterprise System
• The free enterprise system is an economic system
characterized by private or corporate ownership of
capital goods; investments that are determined by
private decision rather than by state control; and
determined in a free market.
• Decisions in a free enterprise system are determined
by the law of supply and demand.
• An economy in which private enterprise exists in
combination with a considerable amount of
government regulation and promotion is called a
mixed economy.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 3

26. Democracy and the Internet
• Democracy demands that the people be
widely informed about their government.
• Theoretically, the Internet makes
knowledgeable participation in democratic
process easier than ever before.
• However, all data on the World Wide Web is
not necessarily true, and the long-term
effects of the Internet on democracy has yet
to be determined.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 3

27. Section 3 Review
1. All of the following are basic notions found in the American
concept of democracy EXCEPT
(a) a recognition of of the fundamental worth and dignity of every person.
(b) a respect for the equality of all persons.
(c) the rule of government by a single individual.
(d) an acceptance of the necessity of compromise.
2. In a free enterprise system, the means of capital are owned
(a) by private and corporate entities.
(b) by government agencies.
(c) by only the agricultural sector.
(d) equally by the collective citizenry.
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Section: 1 2 3 Chapter 1, Section 3

28. Was Democracy their intent?
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Section: 1 2 3

29. “Democracy” and “Republic”
• Often use synonymously
• Many of the Framers believed that
democracy was the ―worst of all political
evils‖
• Guaranteed to each state a ―republican form
of government‖
• Both considered sovereignty to rest with the
people
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Section: 1 2 3

30. “Democracy” as they saw it
• Government ruled by many
• Equality of all citizens
• In its simplest (pure) form it works best in small regions
• Sovereignty must be exerted by the whole people – this has happened
rarely (if ever)
• Chaos (mob rule)
• Has no limits when in the hands of the people
• Requires more participation and voting
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Section: 1 2 3

31. “Republic” as they saw it
• Government ran by few
• An ―Empire of Laws, not of Men‖ – John Adams (a government in which
men of all classes and interests are subject to the laws)
• Not founded on the equality of all citizens, because people are not
equal
• The property of the public is securely protected by law (all men, not
merely those of the majority)
• A purpose rather than form of government
• Works best on a large scale
• System of representation – the people choose whom the please to
govern them (Alexander Hamilton)
• Some restrictions in place for voting (land ownership, age)
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32. James Madison
― … in a democracy, the
people meet and
exercise the government
in person; in a republic
they assemble and
administer it by their
representatives and
agents. A democracy
will be confined to a
small spot. A republic
may be extended over a
large region.‖
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Section: 1 2 3

33. Madisonian Government - 1787
• Voters – white men, 21
and older
• President – chosen by
Electoral College
• Judges immune from
public vote
• Senators chosen by the
state legislatures
• House of Representatives
chosen by the people
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Section: 1 2 3

34. Madisonian Government - 2008
•Voting – ALL citizens 18 and
older
•Both houses of Congress
chosen by the people
•Rule of Law above the Rule
of Man
•Federal Judges still
appointed,not elected
•President still chosen by the
Electoral College, much more
powerful than in the days of
Washington, Adams,
Jefferson, and Madison
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35. Presidential Election - 2000
•Gore
•Bush
•Popular Vote: Gore – 50,996,582; Bush – 50,456,062
•Electoral Vote: Gore – 266; Bush - 271
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Section: 1 2 3